1928 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF A CHINESE FAMILY LIVING IN MANCHURIA, SHORTLY BEFORE JAPAN INVADED AND DECLARED IT A PUPPET STATE

On offer is a unique and rare black-and-white photograph, taken in 1928 in the Chinese region of Manchuria in Northeast Asia. The photo was taken just three years before the Japanese would invade Manchuria and declare and proclaim it to be Manchukuo, a puppet state under the control of the Japanese army. The photo is of a family of six, a father and mother and their four young children, standing in front of what appears to be a fence surrounding their modest property. The back of the photograph states some background information on the photograph: “In Gurin Manchuria taken in 1928 some of the Chinese from interior China. Memory of a very interesting trip while aboard SS Mobile City.” The ‘SS Mobile City’ was a cargo ship built in 1920 by the Chickasaw Shipbuilding Company for Isthmian Steamship Company, a shipping company founded by US Steel in 1910. It’s home port was New York City. The photo appears to be a gelatin silver print. It is fairly washed out, with some detail being slightly blurry, especially in the faces. This could be because of an improper print procedure or through age and bad storage conditions, it is unknown. The photograph is pasted onto a piece of white board. The handwriting on the back is clear and legible. Overall: G; Photograph; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, MANCHURIA, GURIN, CHINA, PRE JAPANESE INVASION, MANCHUKUO, SS MOBILE CITY, ISTHMIAN STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 20TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHINA, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRIT